Deputies bust teen's birthday party, seizing 11 guns from the Maple Grove Airbnb
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. – Ramsey County Sheriff's Deputies said a simple tip led to a big bust and a mad dash to stash illegal guns after dozens of teenagers fled a booze-filled party.
"It's a nice cross section of society, everyone from grade school kids through retirees. It's just a bunch of nice people," longtime Maple Grove resident Matt Petit said.
He was surprised to hear about what happened just a few doors down.
Saturday night, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office says deputies busted a party at an Airbnb rental home. They said a teenager who was wanted for credit card thefts in Shoreview, was throwing his 17th birthday party at the rental.
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"He was on the radar from past auto thefts and carjackings," Undersheriff Mike Martin said.
He said deputies ordered everyone outside. An estimated 50 people were at the party with ages ranging from 15 to 21. Once inside, Martin said they found 11 guns, 7 of which had fully automatic switches. He said the teenagers went to great lengths to hide the guns before taking off.
"They hid guns in cereal boxes, in board games, in fast food wrappers, in the walls, the unfished walls," he said.
What's most concerning, Martin says, is that the teens were posting with the guns on social media that night.
"We think if we hadn't shown up at that time that the party eventually, there may have been a shooting or someone from a rival group might have come and shot up the house," he said.
Airbnb said the host didn't know about the party. The sheriff's office said the host is cooperating and that there have been no prior issues at the rental home.
In a statement, Airbnb said, ""Unauthorized and disruptive parties are banned on Airbnb, and our Safety team has removed the booking guest from the platform. We are supporting our Host, including through AirCover, and we stand ready to assist the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office as they investigate."
The 17-year-old who hosted the party was arrested and kicked off Airbnb. His identity has not been released due to being a minor. The sheriff's office said more arrests could be coming as the investigation continues.